


Operation Sparkly Things

by ElementKitsune



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura Ship Week 2017, Allura and Lance and the Space Mice go shopping, F/M, Fluff, Gen, platonic or romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-22 14:48:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11382411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElementKitsune/pseuds/ElementKitsune
Summary: Allura may not have had a chance to go shopping before, but that won't stop the mice now.Especially not when they've roped Lance in to help.(For Allura Ship Week 2k17 - Day 1: Sparkly Things/Gemstones)





	Operation Sparkly Things

**Author's Note:**

> My (late) submission for Day 1 of Allura Ship Week.  
> Can be read as romantic or platonic.  
> For reference, Platt is the yellow mouse, Chuchule is the pink mouse, Chulatt is the small blue mouse, and Plachu is the green mouse with red eyes.

Allura truly loved Coran with all her heart, but there were moments where it was a bit hard to remember that. For example, this very moment.

“Do  _ you _ think he’s being a bit overbearing?” she asks the mice, and Chuchule squeaks in agreement.

Chulatt sends a thought -  _ Balmera hurt theirs healed Balmera theirs tired theirs dying _ \- and Platt cuddles closer against her fingers.

A frown sneaks its way onto her lips, and Allura sighs as she puts the mice on her shoulders. “I suppose you’re right,” she says. “I had strained myself. But still, sometimes I would simply like to—”

Plachu scampers down her arm. -  _ theirs want sparkle bright shiny theirs want outside? _ -

“Yes,” she murmurs. “Sometimes I would like to explore, and find something shiny.”

Platt curls against her neck -  _ mice love theirs theirs love mice? _ \- and Allura starts.

“Of course I enjoy your company!” she exclaims, and runs a finger over each of their heads. Plachu shies away, as per usual, but Chuchule preens under the attention. Allura’s voice softens, and she looks at the control board.

“Sometimes, your company is the only reason that the waiting is bearable.”

The mice squeak sadly in unison, and then there are little paws at her cheeks and in her hair.

_\- love theirs_ _sparkle theirs shine theirs love theirs_ \- 

Allura scoops the mice into her hands again, and smiles down at them.

“I love you all as well. Even gems don’t sparkle as brightly as you.”

Chuchule puffs up and Plachu wraps his tail around her pinky, and Allura is content in that moment.

* * *

The mice, however?

Not so much.

* * *

Lance stares at the mice.

The mice stare back.

“Alright, so you want me to sneak Allura out of the castle and avoid getting in trouble with Coran?”

The mice squeak in unison. They don’t stop with the staring.

Lance crosses his arms, one eyebrow raised. “And what makes you think that  _ I _ can do that?”

Platt puts his tail over his mouth like he has a mustache, Plachu makes finger gun motions, and is promptly crushed in a hug by Platt.

“I’m not Coran’s favourite.”

Chuchule squeaks as if in judgement, Chulatt turns big soulful eyes on him, and Lance shrugs defensively.

“Okay, so maybe I’m a little bit his favourite.” The mice start a chorus of triumphant squeaks but are silenced by Lance wagging his finger at them. “That doesn’t mean it’ll work!”

The mice exchange glances, before Chulatt scales him and rests on the palm of his hand, and  _ poses _ .

Lance sighs, but he picks up the rest of the mice and bows his head in defeat, so that’s fine.

“Yeah, I want Allura to be happy.” Then he points finger guns at the mice, and they squeak excitedly.

“Let’s do this.”

* * *

Operation Sparkly Things is a go.

* * *

 

When she hears a knock on her door, Allura isn’t completely sure what to expect. It certainly isn’t Lance glancing around nervously while the mice chatter soothingly into his ear.

“Hey princess,” he says in that voice that indicates flirting, and Allura's eyes narrow. It’s more of a habit than actual annoyance at this point.

“What is it Lance?” she says wearily, and he grins sheepishly at her. Chuchule and Plachu move to Allura’s shoulders.

- _ sparkle theirs sparkle blue sparkle mice outside theirs - _ they tell her as they nestle in her hair, and Allura blinks twice.

“You… would like to take me shopping?” she asks, and her hands find their way onto her hips as her eyes widen the slightest bit. Human body language did have that as an intimidating, but not unkind gesture if she remembered correctly.

Of course, that inspires Lance to do his “finger guns” motion with a leer.

Allura narrows her eyes again.

The leer drops, but the finger guns stay. Acceptable.

“The mice said you wanted to buy some sparkly things, and you didn’t when we went to the mall.” His shoulders hunch and his hands dropped into his pockets. “So, they figured that we could go?”

He doesn’t look at her face, so he misses the surprise blooming onto her features, the smile that curls up like juniberry petals.

“Lance,” she says, and rests a hand on his arm. He looks up at her, eyes widened with what she thinks is surprise. “I would love to.”

Red rises onto his cheeks, and that’s a human behaviour that Allura is unfamiliar with. But his hands move back into finger guns and his shoulders relax, so she thinks that it must be a positive response.

“I, uh, yeah!” he exclaims, and turns away. He walks stiffly, his movements almost robotic, and Allura’s unsure how to catalogue it.

But she keeps pace with him, and Platt and Chulatt are chirping at Lance encouragingly, so Allura may or may not drop the diplomatic guard a bit and be ready to enjoy herself.

_ \- sparkle theirs blue sparkle theirs explore - _ the mice chatter, and the smile on Allura’s lips curls out just a little more.

* * *

The mission has been successfully commenced.

The mice may or may not be high pawing.

* * *

“Juni!” Lance calls from across the mall. “Look at this!”

Some aliens give Allura disgruntled looks, and it perhaps takes every bit of her royal bearing not to burst out into giggles. Pretending to be ordinary Juni and Leyan instead of being Princess Allura and Paladin Lance was surprisingly… Amusing? Freeing?

Either way, Allura was enjoying herself. (Dressing up in space mall fashions was fun, time to time.)

“What is it?” she asks, and Lance gives her a toothy grin.

“Close your eyes for a second?” he asks instead, and Allura arches her eyebrow.

Lance pouts in reply.

She tentatively questions the mice, but they tell her nothing except -  _ sparkle theirs sparkles theirs _ -. Traitors.

“I promise it’ll be good,” he wheedles, and with a showy huff, Allura closes her eyes.

Something smooth and cold slides its way onto her head, and she can hear Chulatt’s excited squeaks as Lance gently puts hands on her shoulders and turns her to face what she thinks is a window.

\-  _ sparkle theirs sparkly things - _ Chuchule tells her as she bounces about, and she can feel Platt move off of Lance and into her hair.

“Open your eyes,” says Lance, with an undertone of excitement like Chulatt, and she does just that.

Allura’s breath catches in her throat for a moment.

She’s wearing a tiara of gems, made to look like a flower crown. There are jewel juniberries interwoven with pale pink allolees and sharp-petaled varishkas and a dozen other flowers that she’d thought she wouldn’t see again.

All thoughts of diplomatic composure sent to the stars, Allura whirls around and envelops Lance in a bruising hug, lifting him off the ground by its strength.

The mice squeak in mild alarm but they make their ways to the top of her head, and Allura thinks that she may be crying just a little bit.

Lance wheezes in front of her, but he doesn’t try to squirm out of the embrace. Instead, he tries to return it, though his attempts might have been a little feeble.

Then, like delivered from a teludav, Allura remembers that humans were more fragile than Alteans and quickly (though gently) puts Lance back onto solid ground.

Her hands remain on his shoulders and his remain on her waist, and they don’t say anything for a bit, until the mice nuzzle the top of her head.

“Thank you, La- _ Leyan _ ,” Allura breathes, and Lance’s cheeks turn red again. “ _ Thank you.” _

That’s when the thought occurs to her that they needed GAC to pay for the tiara, and her hand raises before Lance grabs hold of it and gives her a bright smile. Little dips appear on his cheeks. 

“I went diving in the fountain earlier,” he says bashfully. His hand moves to scratch the back of his neck, and Allura can’t help but hug him again.

Though, this one was likely softer.

The hug lasts a few moments, before Plachu tugs on a bit of hair and reminds her that they had to be back in a few dobashes, and Allura lets go.

“Shall we?” she asks, and raises her hand in an offer. She wasn’t exactly sure of what.

The little dips become more pronounced as Lance takes her hand.

“Let’s go princess,” he says with that face that means flirting, but she doesn’t mind this time. Instead, it’s completely, wholly, undoubtedly welcome.

Allura giggles, and they run, in plain clothes and a flower crown of gemstones.

(When they get back, Coran is waiting for them with crossed arms and a suggestion that’s more like an order for them to clear one of the dustier halls until it shines.)

(Still, Allura makes eye contact with Lance and is far beyond certain that it was worth it.)

* * *

And the mice?

They’re  _ ecstatic. _


End file.
